Bo will soon get an attitude, says expert

Published: Thursday, April 16, 2009, 14:11 [IST]

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New York, Apr 16 (ANI): His raison d'être is to be a playful pet of the First Family. But does Bo, who has significantly fewer performance expectations than his master Barack Obama, has any clue about the fame that surrounds him? Well, an expert says he soon will.

Cecelia Ruggles, a Connecticut dog breeder who owns Stump, the Sussex spaniel who won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club show this year, says: "Oh, they know they're famous, and they definitely get an attitude," she said.

Ruggles adds: "What distinguishes show dogs from other dogs is that they realize what's going on, they know what they're doing. That's what makes them who they are."

However, people who have studied dogs' intelligence, are not sure that Bo has any clue of him being an international media star, reports The New York Times.

"No," declared Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the co-author of "What Do Dogs Know?" "Dogs don't know fame."

Professor Coren adds: "They know about comfort, and they know how much they can demand and get away with."

So with the first family treating him like royalty for the time being, "that might be equivalent to fame. He might think he has groupies." (ANI)